A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction. By 2022, mystery films are generally referred to as detective fiction.
Do Detectives Think? or The Bodyguard is a 1927 silent comedy short film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy prior to their official billing as the duo Laurel and Hardy.
Sherlock Holmes Baffled is an American short silent film created in 1900 with cinematography by Arthur Marvin. It is the earliest known film to feature Arthur Conan Doyle's detective character Sherlock Holmes, albeit in a form unlike that of later screen incarnations. In the film, a thief who can appear and disappear at will steals a sack of items from Sherlock Holmes. At each point, Holmes's attempts to thwart the intruder end in failure.
Winifred Westover, birth name Winifred Heide, was an actress of the 1910s and 1920s. Her career included films made in Hollywood, Sweden and New York.
Eye for Eye is 1918 American silent drama film directed by Albert Capellani. It was produced by Richard A. Rowland and Alla Nazimova and distributed by Metro Pictures. Nazimova is also the star in a production scripted by June Mathis. A trailer of the film is currently held in the Library of Congress, and evidence has arisen that a copy may exist in Gosfilmofond in Russia.
The Yankee Consul is a 1924 American black-and-white silent comedy film directed by James W. Horne and written by Raymond Cannon. With a screen adaptation by Lewis Milestone and Raymond Griffith, the film is based upon the 1903 comic opera The Yankee Consul by Alfred G. Robyn and Henry Martyn Blossom.
Believe Me, Xantippe is a lost 1918 American silent romantic comedy film produced by Jesse Lasky for release through Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by actor/director Donald Crisp and stars Wallace Reid and Ann Little. The film is based on a 1913 William A. Brady-produced play Believe Me Xantippe by John Frederick Ballard, which on the Broadway stage had starred John Barrymore.
Fighting Odds is a 1917 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures and starring stage beauty Maxine Elliott. The film is based on the play Under Sentence by Irvin S. Cobb and Roi Cooper Megrue. The picture was amongst Goldwyn's first productions as an independent producer. It was directed by veteran Allan Dwan and is a surviving film at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Gosfilmofond in Russia.
First Love is a 1921 American silent romantic comedy film produced by the Realart Pictures Corporation and distributed through the related Paramount Pictures. It stars Constance Binney and was directed by Maurice Campbell. Warner Baxter has one of his earliest screen portrayals here. Only the first reel of this film is known to survive at the Museum of Modern Art.
Wolves of the Rail is a 1918 American silent Western film produced, directed by, and starring William S. Hart. Thomas H. Ince assisted Hart in supervising the production.
Hemlock Hoax, the Detective is an American short comedy film produced and distributed in 1910 by the Lubin Manufacturing Company. The silent film features a detective named Hemlock Hoax who tries to solve a murder, which unbeknownst to him is a practical joke being played on him by two young boys. It was one of many shorts designed to derive its humor from a sleuth whose name was similar to Sherlock Holmes.
The Courageous Coward is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by William Worthington and featuring Sessue Hayakawa and Tsuru Aoki in lead roles. It is presumed to be a lost film, with only reel 5 preserved at the EYE Film Institute Netherlands film archive.
The Family Skeleton is a surviving 1918 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and Jerome Storm and written by Thomas H. Ince and Bert Lennon. The film stars Charles Ray, Sylvia Breamer, Andrew Arbuckle, William Elmer, Otto Hoffman, and Jack Dyer. The film was released on March 31, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.
The Sheriff's Son is a 1919 American silent Western film directed by Victor Schertzinger and written by J.G. Hawks and William MacLeod Raine. The film stars Charles Ray, Seena Owen, J. P. Lockney, Charles K. French, Otto Hoffman, and Lamar Johnstone. The film was released on March 30, 1919, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film.
Greased Lightning is a surviving 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Jerome Storm and written by Julien Josephson. The film stars Charles Ray, Wanda Hawley, Robert McKim, Willis Marks, Bert Woodruff, and J. P. Lockney. The film was released on April 27, 1919, by Paramount Pictures.
John Petticoats is a 1919 American silent action film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by C. Gardner Sullivan. The film stars William S. Hart, Walt Whitman, George Webb, Winifred Westover, Ethel Shannon, and Andrew Arbuckle. The film was released on November 2, 1919, by Paramount Pictures.
The Lone Star Ranger is a lost 1919 American silent Western film based on the 1915 novel by Zane Grey and stars William Farnum. The film was directed by J. Gordon Edwards and produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. Portions of the film were shot in Palm Springs, California. Just 3 years after the release of the film Fox dusted off the script and refilmed the story with Tom Mix.
A Daughter of Two Worlds is a surviving 1920 silent film adventure drama directed by James Young and starring Norma Talmadge, Jack Crosby, and Virginia Lee.
Keep Smiling is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Albert Austin and Gilbert Pratt. It stars Monty Banks and Glen Cavender. The film was originally titled "Water Shy".
The People vs. Nancy Preston is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Tom Forman and starring Marguerite De La Motte, John Bowers, and Frankie Darro.
